any experience mixing nylon string?

L

lotuscent

New member
Hey folks - I'n back to trying to incorporate nylon string guitar in my mixes - I gave up a year or so ago and switched to recording with steel.

My problem is making it cut through. Ususally when I get what I feel is a good sound, it totally disappears in the mix. I am ususally playing fingerstyle (classical) which has little attack, but the tone is alway good...
just can't seem to keep it distinct, even in fairly thin mixes with say bass, another guitar and percussion.

Anybody got suggestions?

thanks
 
Nylon is a very soft and mellow sound. If you have complex mixes, it wonät cut through. That's just how it is.

You need to carve a space in the mix for the guitar to sit in. Nylon works best as a soft and jazzy background filler, or in really sparse arrangements.
 
Isn't there a way to brighten it up without it sounding brittle and clacky? I have heard flamenco recordings where the guitar has great presence and has to compete with a fair amount of stuff - of course a true flamenco guitar is way brighter sounding to begin with.

Anybody?
 
The best thing you can do is close mic it with a SD omni condenser or 2 (Earthworks or DPA by preference) - that will give you the maximum amount of transients & high frequencies without getting boomy, harsh or smeared. The guitar itself (hint:new strings, high tension) and the room will also play a large role in the sound you get.

Scott
 
If it's going to set in a denser mix, I have to agree with DigitMus. It will depend on the instrument and player but I've had success mic'ing nylon string guitar for this type of setting with a Neumann KM-184 (or Earthworks SR-71) tight on the face of the guitar on the lower bout around 6-8" behind the bridge and an inch or so off the face. I had to move it quite a bit to find the sweet spot. If you want to hear a sample, check out Dawg Music.
http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/?aid=1331/singles.shtml
 
Thanks.

I have a post of the song I am working on if you want to hear what it is. It's still kind of rough. Believe it or not, there is nylon string guitar in there, just not audible beyond a sort of harmonic blur... I would love to hear your mixing comments.

Robin Song
http://mattyaki.com/tunes.cfm

Thanks for your input so far. I'll have to borrow a SDC mic or two. "My" SM81 was reclaimed by it's original owner... bummer.
 
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